It’s literally been an entire football career since Montana State visited Flagstaff to take on Northern Arizona.
The Bobcats have eight super seniors on the roster. All but senior captain fullback R.J. Fitzgerald were redshirting the last time MSU made the trip to NAU to play at the J. Walkup Skydome in 2017. Fitzgerald is the only player on the Montana State football team that has ever actually played the Lumberjacks on their home field.
The wacky Big Sky Conference, indeed.
On Saturday, Fitzgerald, seniors linebacker Callahan O’Reilly, wide receivers Willie Patterson and Coy Steel, cornerbacks Tyrel Thomas and James Campbell, defensive tackle Kyle Rygg and offensive lineman Joey McElroy — all sixth-year seniors — and the rest of the No. 3 Bobcats will change that against an NAU squad that harbored a bit of preseason expectation but enters Saturday’s game contest with a 2-3 Big Sky Conference record.
NAU’s two conference victories came over Cal Poly (31-29 in Flag on October 8) and at Idaho State (24-10 last week). The ‘Jacks also lost 27-10 at home to Idaho in the Big Sky opener for both teams. NAU lost 35-27 at Portland State on October 1 and 56-27 at UC Davis on October 15.
“It’s going to be a new experience,” O’Reilly said. “Anywhere you go, you are playing on a 100-yard football field. It’s nothing too crazy but it’s cool to see another place. It’s the only place in the Big Sky I haven’t been besides Idaho, I think. So it will be cool to get a new experience and see a new stadium.
“Ultimately, at the end of the day, you are just playing football.”
The Bobcats are 5-0 in league play and 7-1 overall entering the trip to the highest elevation of any school in the big Sky.
QUICK HITS
Location: Flagstaff, Arizona
Nickname: Lumberjacks
Founded: 1899. The high research institution has 36 satellite campuses across Arizona.
Enrollment: The university has 28,090 students and an endowment of $226 million.
Stadium: The Walkup Skydome. Opened in 1977, the 11,230-seat stadium received a $26 million facelift in 2011. Flagstaff’s elevation of more than 7,200 feet about sea level makes the Skydome a venue with some of the thinnest air in America. NAU is averaging 8,185 fans per game in three home games this season.
THE TEAM (2-3 in Big Sky, 3-5 overall in 2022)
The Coach: Chris Ball, fourth season at NAU. The veteran defensive coach has had a varied career with stops at places like Coffeyville and Western Oregon State to a one-year stint as Idaho State’s defensive coordinator in 1999 to coaching for four seasons at Alabama. Ball was also a Pac 12 defensive coordinator eight seasons, four each at Washington State and Arizona State.
Northern Arizona made a little noise last fall in Ball’s third season (including the 2021 spring) at the helm. NAU won four league games and posted a 5-6 overall record with freshman RJ Martinez manning the helm. NAU’s non-conference win over Sam Houston this year turned heads like the Lumberjacks’ 21-19 win over Arizona last season did. But Ball’s charges have had a hard time harnessing and carrying the momentum of those big non-conference victories.
Ball is 15-12 at NAU, including 11-15 in Big Sky play.
PLAYERS TO WATCH – Offense
RJ Martinez, quarterback, sophomore, 6-0, 185 — Last season’s Big Sky Freshman of the Year has thrown for more than 309 yards on four different occasions this season. He’s thrown for 1,955 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Draycen Hall, running back, sophomore, 5-8, 175 – With devastating workhorse Kevin Daniels on the shelf, Hall has seen way more touches. He leads NAU in rushing yards (283) plus he’s caught 31 passes for 208 yards.
Hendrix Johnson, wide receiver, junior, 6-1, 200 – The athletic and sometimes acrobatic in-state product has put up big numbers in NAU’s win’s He had eight catches for 101 yards against Sam Houston, four catches for 89 yards on a touchdown against Cal Poly and seven catches for 50 yards last week.
PLAYERS TO WATCH – Defense
Morgan Vest, safety, senior, 6-1, 205 — The former South Carolina transfer was a unanimous first-team all-conference pick during the spring season in 2021. He folowed that up by earning second-team honors last fall. He’s fast on his way to more honors given his torrid pace. He leads NAU with 66 tackles.
Eloi Kwete, defensive line, junior, 6-1, 250
Cosmas Kwete, defensive line, junior, 6-3, 220
The brothers from Phoenix Central have been in opponents’ backfields often this season. Eloi has five sacks and nine tackles for loss. Cosmas has three sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss.
